Maanam ketta pozhappu

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/PoliticsNation/DMK-jigsaw-falls-in-place/articleshow/4600734.cms

நாட்டை பேரம் பேசி பங்கு போடறதே அசிங்கம். வெட்கம் மானம் சூடு சொரணை… ம்ம்ம் ஹ்ம்ம்

இந்த லக்ஷனதுல நொட்டநை வேற!

http://news.in.msn.com/national/article.aspx?cp-documentid=3036324

Taliban vs. Pakistan

Looks like the ISI is getting a dose of its own medicine!

I have nothing against the Muslim brethren in general… but these Taliban guys… I wish some bloody leader in Pakistan with a some amount of backbone says ‘enough is enough’ and destroys this group with a resolve that the LTTE  was destroyed as a terrorist group by the Sri Lankan army.

Commies b’tards?

One wonders how these Communists (no matter what their denomination is)  came to be so hated around the world.

Nepal Govt blames India for debacle

Pseudo-தமிழர்கள்

தமிழ் இனம் என்பார்கள், தமிழ் ரத்தம் என்பார்கள், கடல் கடந்து இருக்கும், தமிழர் உயிருக்காக
(முதலை) கண்ணீரும் வடிப்பார்கள், நெஞ்சம் குமுறுகிரது என்பார்கள்.

ஆனால் தன் வீட்டின் முன் இருக்கும் பிச்சைகாரருக்கு ஒரு கை உணவளிக்க இச்சை படாதவர்கள்

இவர்கள் தம்மை தாமே தமிழ் உலகத்து காப்பாளர்கள் என்று பட்டம் சூட்டி கொள்வார்கள்

பிச்சைகாரர் தமிழன் இல்லையொ?

Only our fellow countrymen can think like this…?

Found something to rant about in the comments section here.

Frankly, one of the most stupid things I have heard in a long time. BTW, my comments are in ()s.

I find this discussion laughable as some one said before, ” the nano is meant to help Indians (Tata, specifically), not the environment.” Why is it our responsibility to take care of the environment when the sole responsibility for messing it up lies with Europe and North America (hello? You sound like the North Korean media which claims people in America are dying of famine)? Every Indian has the right to a high standard of living and if that brings the world down then so be it (Such a huge load of sentimentalist, pseudo-patriotic crap.). A ruined planet is better than an unequal one (I am beginning to think that this guy is really daft). Besides its time we started taxing every westerner to alleviate global warming! Go Tata

45% of the world’s wealth destroyed

Or so this article quotes the CEO of Blackstone

Wealth? What wealth? Minted paper and psychologically enhanced ‘value’ is now being called wealth!!!

Who can say what is the actual WORTH of a square feet of land?

What use is ‘paper’ money, if you can keep printing ‘$2,000,000′ notes and you need just one to buy a loaf of bread? (don’t know what I am talking about? Check on Zimbabwe’s economic condition in Google).

Who does care or even know about actual wealth these days?

Its funny and sad that we churn out a zillion MBAs and PhDs every year and yet we cannot answer the simplest of questions without using some hi-fi jargon.

Whatever happened to separation of church and politics…?

or Mutt and politics, or Mosque and politics… whatever. But this article shows how absurd our ’secular’ philosophy is.

One person has commented as follows:

Shame Shame on all who donot support BJP. A priest of a church can ask his followers to vote in the name of christ and a maulana can ask in the name of allah, but a sadhu cannot ask vote in the name of Ram!!! CPM, LJP, Congress, RJD can ask for votes to muslims and christains in the name of islam and christainity and become so called secular. When BJP asks for votes in the name of HINDUS, they are non secular!!!

I find it hard to refute his logic.

Kali yuga – gaining speed and strength

Ten shot dead at German School

Ten die in Alabama shooting spree

Fighting in Sri Lanka picks up

Such are the evil times of Kali yuga…

LTTE – Islamic militants nexus?

http://www.rediff.com/news/2009/mar/03raman-harkat-repays-an-old-debt-to-ltte-in-lahore.htm

Nothing more to say.

Finger snaps

I have been traveling quite frequently in buses after coming to Hyderabad. I noticed that the conductors have one of the most annoying and rudest way to ask if someone has yet to buy a ticket.

They keep snapping their fingers in front of the people all the time!!

There was this guy yesterday who took it to such a level that I felt like taking hold of his hand and breaking the bones of his middle finger and thumb.

Who’s a consultant?

Scott Adams:

“Give a man a fish, and you’ll feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and he’ll buy a funny hat. Talk to a hungry man about fish, and you’re a consultant.”

‘Die with us’, rebels tell Sri Lanka’s refugees

http://www.reuters.com/article/homepageCrisis/idUSCOL395120._CH_.2400

So, what do the hypocritical bastards who support the LTTE (directly or indirectly) have to say to this?

And that too in the name of ‘Tamil kinship’… and Prabhakaran is their ‘Thanga Thalaivan’ (golden leader)!!

Shame.

Sea of Tranquility?

This was the first time I took walk near Hitech city and happened to go near the Satyam “My Home Hub” building. It is right by the side of a REALLY busy road, with traffic nearly nauseating.

Next to the building was a HUGE residential complex named “Navadweepa” and it had a caption “Sea of Tranquility” or something like that.

An irony that I have not seen before. Hmm.

Yet for all the subtleties…

I just got news from home that colleges in TN have been asked to close until Feb 08, 2009.

Reason? Support for Tamil people suffering in Sri Lanka. Absurd. Ridiculous.

The only good thing that comes out of such a decision is a whole lot of students who can really take a break from the drudgery of college working days are very happy.

Seriously… is it real concern for people who are suffering? Or is it veiled, subtle (or may be not so subtle!!) support for LTTE? The photo in this news clipping makes me think it is the latter.

Oh, I forgot to add…

From http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090130/jsp/nation/story_10460494.jsp

“Chennai, Jan. 29: A youth burnt himself to death today to protest the Centre’s alleged failure to save Sri Lankan Tamils, a day after Pranab Mukherjee returned from Colombo.

R. Muthukumaran, a 30-year-old DTP operator with a Tamil magazine run by PMK leader S. Ramadoss’s daughter, set himself ablaze at Shastri Bhavan, a complex of central government offices in the heart of Chennai. He was rushed to hospital but succumbed to his burns.”

You know what I think? This fellow, for all his admirable tamil spirit, was just plain DUMB. Who knows what indoctrination he was put through to come to such a stupid decision?

Get the hint between the bold parts? Me thinks so!

When it comes to politics, my friends, our politicians are no better than terrorists!

Readme? Duh!!

This is something I posted on another blog… a while ago.

You spend a good half of your week in getting everything ready for your client release. Picture perfect is what you would expect the quality guys to say. You sit through the audit, get a pat on the back and finally let the guys at the customer site have a go at the product by sending it in a nice package.
A day later you get a call.

“Hey Bob! This is Rob, from customer inc. You know… the software ‘X’ you sent yesterday? It doesn’t seem to work. I can hardly figure out what menu ‘Y’ is for! I have been at this from morning and I keep getting this error during installation! What do you think is the problem? Should I change…”. Blah… blah… blah.

“Whoa! Whoa… hold on. Take a deep breath! There… that’s better. Now, did you do go through the Readme file that I sent along with the installation package?

A couple of seconds of silence.

“Oh. One sec. Ahh! Here it is. Umm… err… Am I supposed to read that? I mean… this is…”

Seth Godin on Persistence

Persistence isn’t using the same tactics over and over. That’s just annoying. Persistence is having the same goal over and over.

Found it here. Loved the definition. Sharing it.

Kali yuga gaining…

My dearest Lord, how cruel will mankind get in the future?

To read news of incidents such as this surely makes one wonder if we are truly approaching the end of days.

Or as we say over here, “ellam kali kaalam” (all this is the effect of the age of Kali (not the Goddess Kaali… ok?)).

Hyderabad…

It may not be common knowledge, but I am officially a Hyderabad-vasi as of Jan 02, 2009. Having shifted companies at a time when most people would cling to their jobs like a monkey baby to its mother, it was quite a dramatic entrance for me in to the New Year.

On New Year’s eve, I also came to know the person who would become my better half in a couple of months. That in itself was quite a huge change. And coming to a place where Tamil speaking shopkeepers and auto-wallahs seem non-existent was another huge change. My Hindi is getting a bit of dusting and polishing nowadays. I am sure most of the guys snicker once I turn away from the counter. But, what to do? I need to get my belly full, na?

And then something happened that I would not have expected in a million years… some idiot ‘chor’ broke in to my apartment while I was away at office. This was just a week after I settled down in the apartment. But, I pity that guy (or gal!!). There was absolutely nothing valuable in my home at the time… and so the cost of the breaking was just the 2 new huge locks I had to buy. oh well!

One thing I noticed about this place very quickly is people here simply love to eat meat! I usually walk to my dinner place and this one day, suddenly I saw a meat market where the road must have been!! Makeshift stalls, dripping (with whatever)… it was dark and the smell was so overpowering! OMG. Finding a place that serves vegetarian food is a problem here, especially on the outskirts of the city.

First impression: Outskirts, not good. City (at least whatever area I have seen), good enough!

Bad journalism

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Business/Raju_forgoes_dinner_on_1st_night_in_jail/articleshow/3962460.cms

ToI… bad example.

Yes, Raju probably deserves whatever punishment he is put through for the scam he has done, but articles like this are in very bad taste. Let the man face justice with whatever dignity he is left with.

There is no need to beat a dead horse.

The search has ended

10 months of ‘head hunting’, ranting over here in my blog and countless arguments at home and with friends over several aspects… finally the issue is now put to rest.

The search has ended, folks. I am on my way to losing my dominion as the single, unquestioned ruler of my life. Its time now for power sharing!!

In a couple of weeks, I am getting engaged to a poor soul who will suffer me for the rest of her life *evil laughter*.

Bah… Just kidding. Not the engagement part, though. Me is getting engaged come this Feb. Any advice from ‘veterans’ on the treading the path towards married life is welcome… other than the “don’t get married” stuff, that is.

Satyam? What satyam?

http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE5062N020090107

Talk of a company not living up to its name. Literally!

This is very, very sad.

Understanding…

… The current economic crisis!! I got this story by email.

*WARNING* It needs some patience to read this. So, here goes!

Once there was a little island country. The land of this country was the tiny island itself. The total money in circulation was 2 dollars as there were only two pieces of 1 dollar coins circulating around.

1) There were 3 citizens living on this island country.  A owned the land. B and C each owned 1 dollar.

2) B decided to purchase the land from A for 1 dollar. So, now A and C own 1 dollar each while B owned a piece of land that is worth 1 dollar.

* The net asset of the country now = 3 dollars.

3) Now C thought that since there is only one piece of land in the country, and land is non producible asset, its value must definitely go up. So, he borrowed 1 dollar from A, and together with his own 1 dollar, he bought the land from B for 2 dollars.

*A has a loan to C of 1 dollar, so his net asset is 1 dollar.
* B sold his land and got 2 dollars, so his net asset is 2 dollars.
* C owned the piece of land worth 2 dollars but with his 1 dollar debt to A, his net residual asset is 1 dollar.
* Thus, the net asset of the country = 4 dollars.

4) A saw that the land he once owned has risen in value. He regretted having sold it. Luckily, he has a 1 dollar loan to C. He then borrowed 2 dollars from B and acquired the land back from C for 3 dollars. The payment is by 2 dollars cash (which he borrowed) and cancellation of the 1 dollar loan to C. As a result, A now owned a piece of land that is worth 3 dollars. But since he owed B 2 dollars, his net asset is 1 dollar.

* B loaned 2 dollars to A. So his net asset is 2 dollars.
* C now has the 2 coins. His net asset is also 2 dollars.
* The net asset of the country = 5 dollars. A bubble is building up.

(5) B saw that the value of land kept rising. He also wanted to own the land. So he bought the land from A for 4 dollars. The payment is by borrowing 2 dollars from C, and cancellation of his 2 dollars loan to A.

* As a result, A has got his debt cleared and he got the 2 coins. His net asset is 2 dollars.
* B owned a piece of land that is worth 4 dollars, but since he has a debt of 2 dollars with C, his net Asset is 2 dollars.
* C loaned 2 dollars to B, so his net asset is 2 dollars.

* The net asset of the country = 6 dollars; even though, the country has only one piece of land and 2 Dollars in circulation.

(6) Everybody has made money and everybody felt happy and prosperous.

(7) One day an evil wind blew, and an evil thought came to C’s mind. “Hey, what if the land price stop going up, how could B repay my loan. There is only 2 dollars in circulation, and, I think after all the land that B owns is worth at most only 1 dollar, and no more.”

(8) A also thought the same way.

(9) Nobody wanted to buy land anymore.

* So, in the end, A owns the 2 dollar coins, his net asset is 2 dollars.
* B owed C 2 dollars and the land he owned which he thought worth 4 dollars is now 1 dollar. So his net asset is only 1 dollar.
* C has a loan of 2 dollars to B. But it is a bad debt. Although his net asset is still 2 dollars, his Heart is palpitating.
* The net asset of the country = 3 dollars again.

(10) So, who has stolen the 3 dollars from the country ? Of course, before the bubble burst B thought his land was worth 4 dollars. Actually, right before the collapse, the net asset of the country was 6 dollars on paper. B’s net asset is still 2 dollars, his heart is palpitating.

(11) B had no choice but to declare bankruptcy. C as to relinquish his 2 dollars bad debt to B, but in return he acquired the land which is worth 1 dollar now.

* A owns the 2 coins, his net asset is 2 dollars.
* B is bankrupt, his net asset is 0 dollar. ( he lost everything )
* C got no choice but end up with a land worth only 1 dollar

* The net asset of the country = 3 dollars.

************ **End of the story; BUT ************ ********* ******

There is however a redistribution of wealth.
A is the winner, B is the loser, C is lucky that he is spared.

A few points worth noting -

(1) When a bubble is building up, the debt of individuals to one another in a country is also building up.
(2) This story of the island is a closed system whereby there is no other country and hence no foreign debt. The worth of the asset can only be calculated using the island’s own currency. Hence, there is no net loss.
(3) An over-damped system is assumed when the bubble burst, meaning the land’s value did not go down to below 1 dollar.
(4) When the bubble burst, the fellow with cash is the winner. The fellows having the land or extending loan to others are the losers. The asset could shrink or in worst case, they go bankrupt.
(5) If there is another citizen D either holding a dollar or another piece of land but refrains from taking part in the game,  he will neither win nor lose. But he will see the value of his money or land go up and down like a see saw.
(6) When the bubble was in the growing phase, everybody made money.
(7) If you are smart and know that you are living in a growing bubble, it is worthwhile to borrow money (like A ) and take part in the game. But you must know when you should change everything back to cash !!
(8) As in the case of land, the above phenomenon applies to stocks as well.
(9) The actual worth of land or stocks depend largely on psychology.

Beats me!!

I have respect for all bonafide religions and their scriptures. But it really is astounding how many “faithful” are always drawn to scriptures for all the wrong reasons. Take the Quran and you have the current “Jihad”. Take the Bible and you have the crusades and the current conversions that happen through subtle violence. Take the Vedas and you have groups that justify their violence based on them too!!!

Why doesn’t the minds of such people ever look at the parts of those scriptures that plead for restraint and love? Of all the kinds of terrorism and violence, the one done in the name of religion has to be the most dangerous… since it warps the minds of the people doing it in an illusion, thinking that they are doing some great feat ordained by their Gods.

What makes them dangerous is not their violence, but their conviction that they are doing the right thing.

A matter of questions in a bride search

There is one issue which seems to irk so many of the prospective brides and their parents we talk to.

Why did your son come back from USA?

The million dollar question. Why the hell would someone come back to this existence in India from USA? It seems like they consider it to be big sin to come back from USA. Once in USA, stay in USA… that’s their motto.

Well, let me tell ya’all something. The decision to come back was made by ME… I didn’t even consult with my parents. I took the decision and informed them. They didn’t have any problems. So, why on earth would I have to rationalize a decision to a complete stranger, almost two-and-a-half years after I made it?

It should go without saying that the bride search is not going very strong, at least in my opinion. Girls and their parents these days are mostly unpredictable… not to mention the complete lack of courtesy. My uncle from USA was here at my home couple of weeks ago and we were shocked to hear that his colleague had to endure some really, really stupid, yet disturbing questions when he talked to some girl’s parent while searching for a bride for his son. Some of the questions are given below:

1) Would you stay with your son after his marriage? If you would be staying separately, how frequently would you visit him? ( Hint:Its not the family bond they are concerned about.)

2) How much is your net worth? How much will your son inherit?

3) Do you have a hospital near your home? How much insurance do you and your wife have?

Needless to say, the man left the place in shock. The marriage alliance never happened.

… sounds crazy?

Seems like this is…

… my 100th post on the blog. Well… I never kept count of it, but just happened to notice it today.

Its been a really, really long time and two deleted blogs since I wrote anything really heavy… I mean, something which is sure to start fires in the pants of some people who might be reading this blog.

So. Here comes.

Anyone from TamilNadu would be very much aware of the current spate of hunger strikes and human chains… all being held “in support of the suffering Tamil people in Sri Lanka”.

Whats the deal? Seems like innocent “Tamilians” are caught in the war between the SriLankan Government forces and the LTTE. And I have seen the Tamil Actors’ guild call up a day of hunger strike, weep their tears, pledge money for assistance to the “Tamil Cause”. Blood relations, they call them. “Eminent” directors Ameer and Seeman were arrested a week or so before for speaking praises about “Annan (big brother)” Prabhakaran, the LTTE chief.

Karunanidhi, the chief minister of TamilNadu, is in a sad position. Neither can he vocally support LTTE, nor can he say publicly that LTTE is a terrorist organization. So, as brilliant he is, once the LTTE has been cornered in the north, he gave a loud call for ending the “genocide” against Tamils in Sri Lanka. And all of his “faithful dogs” (oh, the elected MPs, I mean) submitted token resignations in protest of the “genocide”.(I don’t even want to get in to describing the emotional drama put up by people like Vaiko of MDMK, Pazha. Nedumaran, Thirumavalavan, Ramadoss etc.)

A nice way to save the LTTE and at the same time score political points, no? Not to mention the distraction it provides from the current severe power crisis in TamilNadu, thanks to the inept skills of the Power Minister Arcot Veerasamy. (The funny part is he was very quick to put the blame on the previous Government run by Jayalalitha, saying that it had not done enough power schemes!!!)

So, where am I going with all these? I just have 2 points to make:

1) The war in Sri Lanka should not be stopped until Prabhakaran and his lieutenants have surrendered or are either captured/ killed. Much blood has been spilled on their account and leaving them free would guarantee another bloody decade. LTTE must disappear as a terrorist organization, completely, for peace to flourish in any place within Sri Lanka.

2) War is never fair. People will die, no matter the precautions taken. So, for all those idiots who wish to fan the much advertised flame of “Tamil” blood and whatnot, I say “Shut the f*** up!!”. No matter how much they cry, it is the internal issue of another sovereign country and you CANNOT dictate terms to them. Only thing you can do is to request them to end this war quickly and find a permanent solution. But making school children stand in heavy rain and blocking traffic for miles and miles makes you look stupid. (Oh and PLEASE don’t tell me that all the schools and colleges that participated in the human chain craziness did it voluntarily.)

To all those “Tamil” sentimantilists, I ask you these:

1) Do you justify LTTE’s methods and propaganda?

2) Will you send out your support only for another “Tamil” person? Why don’t you use your humanitarian concern and organize demonstrations and collect money in support for “humans” in places like Somalia… or support the democracy movement in Myanmar?

3) When you ask for Tamil Ealam for your “blood brothers and sisters”, do you also agree to the demands made by the militants from Pakistan who demand Kashmir for their “blood brothers and sisters”?

4) To the unscrupolous politicians… you people show too much emotion looking at the videos circulating around claiming how the Tamil people suffer in the war. Why now and why not before? This is a 30 or more year old problem… where were your emotions till now? Are you trying to save the innocent tamil people or the LTTE?

I have seen and heard so much crap the last few weeks, that my lips curl in disgust everytime I hear some politician fool speak about this issue.

Enough. May God save the innocent people.

Deepavali Wishes

I, The Convert… Is this really needed?

At a time when India is suffering from a very nasty internal conflict based on religion, reading the article such as this one makes me wonder why someone like Anand Mahadevan had to “come out” and expose his faith in this manner and at this time.

“I write this piece to make one point—that my conversion was not a change of religion but a change of heart.”

Good… point made. So?

“I don’t remember it verbatim, but they articulated a prayer of blessing on my life, future, career and family. It was a simple affair—no miracles, no angels visiting. All they did was utter a deep human cry out to the creator God and His only son Jesus Christ. When they said Amen, I felt in my heart a desire to follow Jesus. It was a faith encounter with God that I shall not even attempt to understand, rationalise or explain.”

He says he will not even attempt to understand. So, I am pretty sure he did the same thing (not trying to understand, that is) when he had his meetings with his ‘brahmin’ grandpa. And there ends the story.

So his whole article becomes just a piece of sentimental exposition which reeks of “hey, now you all know why and I don’t care what you think!!”

Political drama… no, wait. Political BS!

http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20080068840

One man has replied in another web posting that being a tamilian he is very happy to see this action. I have one response to that idiot: Identify yourselves as humans first… and not with some pattern of sound waves.

So, Why not resign for the massacres in Somalia? Or Jammu and Kashmir?

Seems like we need to introduce a new term… Tamil Fundamentalism.

Something I received through email…

One song can spark a moment,
One flower can wake the dream.
One tree can start a forest,
One bird can herald spring.

One smile begins a friendship,
One handclasp lifts a soul.
One star can guide a ship at sea,
One word can frame the goal.

One vote can change a nation,
One sunbeam lights a room.
One candle wipes out darkness,
One laugh will conquer gloom.

One step must start each journey,
One word must stat each prayer.
One hope will raise our spirits,
One touch can show you care.

One voice can speak with wisdom,
One heart can know what’s true,
One life can make a difference,
You see, it’s up to you!

Conversion and dignity? WTH?

“Because they have failed, they are trying miserably hard,” Mathai said, adding, if conversions gave someone respect and dignity, they were not wrong.

Source is here.

For the very fact that he hints that simply converting from one religion to another gives a person respect and dignity, I will have to give Dr. Abraham Mathai a huge thumbs down.

I don’t have any love for the Bajrang Dal or whatever… but to suggest something on the above lines but then carry out conversion based on faith makes the latter a pretense and makes it look like these guys are more interested in scoring political points and number crunching rather than providing any spiritual benefit to the misled (in their opinion, obviously) masses.